Wasps said their final farewell to Shaun Edwards after this match. Once the final whistle had gone, they got him out on the pitch and presented him with a photomontage of the finest moments from his 10 years as a coach at the club. They had plenty to pick from: Wasps won four Premiership titles, two Heineken Cups, an Anglo-Welsh Cup and a European Challenge Cup in that time. The only hitch was that while the ceremony was going on there were a hundred or so Northampton fans at the far end of the ground, roaring out When The Saints Go Marching In. Neither Edwards nor Wasps would have wanted it to end that way.

Had he still been in charge, Edwards would have been pretty unamused with the way Wasps played. Their tackling in midfield was lax and their discipline at the breakdown poor. And you guessed he might have had something to say about the refereeing of Tim Wigglesworth, who missed a clear forward pass in the buildup to the try that turned the match just after half-time. But these are not Edwards's problems now. They are Dai Young's.

"I've got a dressing room full of frustrated players in there who feel that they weren't given a fair crack," Young said of the refereeing. "But I'm a great believer that you have to look at yourself first."

Young pointed out that in the runup to that first Northampton try, which was scored by the prop Soane Tonga'uiha from close range, Wasps were turned over twice. Saints' second try, which came 10 minutes later, was more embarrassing still. Brian Mujati ran through and over Nick Robinson and stampeded in from 30 metres out. The fly-half tried to tackle the prop, but it was a little like watching a mouse say boo to a mammoth.

"It was," the Saints head coach, Jim Mallinder, said through a grin, "a nice sight to see." Robinson had a particularly good view of it, from flat on his back. That try made it 24-8 and meant the match was only heading one way.

What really killed Wasps was their indiscipline in the first half, when they seemed to be offside more often than they were on. "Story of our season," said Young, ruefully. They gave Ryan Lamb five penalty shots in those 40 minutes and he kicked four of them. That aside, Wasps were playing well. They were fierce in the scrum and Young even complained that they should have won an extra penalty or two for their efforts there.

Wasps scored a fine try too. Joe Simpson – more deserving of the man-of-the-match award than the winner, Courtney Lawes – knocked a kick over his head, into the far corner. Chris Ashton, who had a shockingly bad game, bungled the take as Tom Varndell closed in. Christian Wade then popped a loopy little pass over Ashton's head to Riki Flutey, who finished. Ross Filipo scored Wasps' second try in the final few minutes. So it was those penalties that made the difference.

Young confirmed that though his funds were tight he would be trying to recruit a new lock to replace Simon Shaw. As for Edwards, the Wasps chairman, Mark Rigby, added his voice to the chorus calling for England to sign him up to their coaching team before they lose the chance.